Gaming and boat game

Android is currently the most popular OS for smart phones, with an estimated number of 300 million plus, users worldwide. For developers this opens up a large market for promoting their apps, but there is also fierce competition in this segment with around 450,000 apps on Google Play. Unless an app stands out from its competitors on the store, the chances of cashing in on this opportunity are meagre.

Here are 6 ideas for developing Android apps that will set your cash registers ringing.

1. A Unique Idea – Whether it’s a gaming or a utility app, in order to succeed on Google Play, it should be unique and indigenous. Rather than trying to emulate the success of an existing top grosser like Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja and apps like Instagram, it is better to come up with a creative new approach to entertaining the user or find a niche segment that is still unexploited. Dmastore’s Italian Cooking app for Android is a good example of an app that has tapped into a niche by providing traditional Italian recipes in Spanish to the large Spanish speaking population throughout the world.

2. Good User Interface – In a market place that is crowded with offerings, an app should have excellent design coupled with a good ‘User Interface’ in order to increase its chances of getting noticed. The design should not be complex. Some apps such as Smart AudioBook Player have seen success just by concentrating on a simple design and user friendly interface that gives customers exactly what they need.

3. Rich features – Since there already are a large number of apps on Google Play, a new app needs not only to be unique but also feature-rich in order to witness a large number of downloads. In a market which already had several well-known sports related apps, Apppli’s Cricket World Cup 2011 app was successful because of the multiple features that it offered users. Besides live updates and the latest news about the Cricket World Cup, the app provided users with a range of options such as ball-by-ball commentary, listing of match fixtures and results, which other sports news apps lacked.

4. Continuity – As unique or feature-rich an app might be, there will come a time when the user gets bored with it and wants to try something new. In this scenario, it’s a good development strategy to look at the long term and offer content with continuous updates. Many apps, including Angry Birds, have used this technique by offering a free app as well as a continuous stream of new versions for which the user has to pay.

5. Be Social – With social networking becoming almost a way of life, having an Android app development idea that can benefit from the use of social networks such as Facebook or Twitter can help in increasing the reach of the app while satisfying a customer need. Instagram and Viddy are two apps that have leveraged the use of social networks for sharing photos and videos, which has resulted in a large number of downloads.

6. Customize for Android – Even though iPhones are considered to have a superior user interface, Android presents flexibility by offering features such as alternate keyboard formats and automation. When developing an Android app, rather than just adapting it for the android system, looking at how to incorporate some of its cool features into your app can result in success on Google Play.

You can develop your Android app with either one of these ideas or by using a combination of them. While trying to come up with a unique idea for an Android app, keep in mind that the user also has to see a need for it. For instance, having an app that does trigonometric functions for students may not help if they aren’t allowed to use mobile phones in the classroom. Similarly, an app that merely replicates a popular social app by offering better features may not work.
By keeping the consumer in mind while using these guidelines you could see your app sales soaring on Google Play.